Time has run out for school districts that aren’t compliant with the state’s English Language Learner program.

In the three years since the program, which requires four hours a day of English immersion for students who aren’t proficient in the language, was established, not one school district has been sanctioned financially for non-compliance, even though a sanction is required by law, according to a report by the Office of the Auditor General.

School districts are likely to see increases in English-language learners and the costs associated with the program after the federal government demanded that Arizona change a survey it uses to screen students, school officials and observers say.

At a time when one-in-eight students in Arizona qualify for English language services, the state has made controversial and — according to the federal government – possibly unlawful changes to its language education program.

School enrollment numbers have been dropping consistently since 2007 in many Phoenix districts with large Hispanic populations. Superintendents partially blame the economy for this decrease, but they say Arizona’s employer sanctions law in 2007 and SB 1070 in 2010 cracking down on illegal immigrants are also key factors.